Review: Red Light

Title: Red Light
Author: Thom Lane
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 8 February 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 32,268 words

Blurb:
Jeff is a deliberate loner: he's had his heart broken once, and he won't let it happen again. Ready to rebuild his life, he goes on holiday. Alone. Until he meets Benet -- and finds that the human heart is not so easily controlled.

Unable to resist the siren call of Benet's sweet, beautiful nature, Jeff decides a fling can't hurt, but all he wants is sex and company; anything more just leads inevitably to disappointment and betrayal. But Benet slithers under his guards and breaks all Jeff's new-set rules. Will he obey his brain and stop for the Red Light or will he give in to the heart's impulse and run it?


Rating: 4 out of 5


Review:

Main Characters:
Jeff is still recovering from his lover Tony's infidelity, coping by building a wall around his heart. A fling is fine, as long as it's understood by both parties that sex is all it is; he's not looking for romance or commitment, not when it means his heart could be broken again. The long hours he works as a hospital doctor don't help in any case. He travels to Provence as a little bit of revenge against Tony--the trip had been planned for the two of them, well before the fight that ended their relationship--but finds himself at loose ends there, at least until he meets Benet.

Jeff is a steady narrator, if a bit self-deluding, but I don't feel that I ever really got to know him very well, despite the fact that the entire story is presented from his point of view. His personality never came far enough through the prose for me. I liked him well enough, but never really connected.

Benet is another British transplant, working for a year at a vineyard in Provence to experience the French way of doing things. He's sweetly unrelenting and earnest, yet entirely wanton when the situation warrants. Much like Matthieu in White Flag, he knows what he wants and goes for it. He tends to be a bit impulsive, though my favorite instance of it is at the end:

A message from Benet.

His voice sounded nervous and impatient and amused—all three at once. "Oh, hell, Jeff, where are you? I thought I'd be getting you out of bed. Are you still in bed; are you sleeping? Well, wake up, then. Please wake up. I'm at Stansted Airport, and I've done this stupid thing. I've flown in to see you. I have to see you. Only, I don't know how to find you. I don't have your address. It was just a wild impulse and it's raining buckets out there and I don't know what to do now, so I'm just going to sit here until you come to rescue me. Please come. Please come soon...?"

I found his conflict and determination to be absolutely adorable.

Although we never get to experience Benet's point of view and thus he remains more of a mystery, I nevertheless think I prefer him to Jeff; he seemed more developed as a personality, rather than a reaction to an event.

Chemistry:
Despite my ambivalence toward Jeff, I really do like them as a couple. Their mutual delusion that their relationship is just a fling is charming, especially when Jeff confronts Benet on it:

We stopped for dinner at a restaurant somewhere halfway between the château and the gîte. To be honest, I really wasn't paying attention: not to the drive except for the simple mechanics of it, not to the scenery or the towns we passed through, not to the food on my plate. I was focused entirely on the young man in the seat beside me, or now the other side of the table. How candlelight touched his hair, how the skin around his eyes crinkled when he smiled, how he gestured with his cutlery as he talked.

How he made me feel as young as he was. Younger. Full of joys and doubts, and helpless in their grip.

How he frowned, trying to understand me as he listened, as I tried to explain.

"It's not that I don't trust you," I said helplessly. "It's the situation, the promises... I don't believe in promises, not anymore. If Tony and I could go that sour, then anything can. And I don't believe in long-distance relationships, either. Tony and I couldn't keep it together when we were living in the same house. He said I was never there, but—well, you and me, neither of us would ever be there for the other. Two different countries, it's impossible..."

He had an odd little smile on his face as I finished. He gave his head an odd little shake; he said, "You know, I've always heard doctors were arrogant, but I never really understood till now."

"What? I just—"

"What you're saying, Jeff dear, is that there's no point my falling in love with you, because all you want is a fuckfest, and when we're done you'll just waltz off back to England and leave me with a broken heart if I've been silly enough to let that happen. That's it, isn't it?"

I flinched from that bald exposé, which was almost cruel in its revelation of my character; but I couldn't really argue with it. At heart, yes, that was what I was saying. What I wanted, except:

"I don't want to break your heart," I said, as earnestly as I could. "I'm just saying, be careful, because—"

"Trust me, Jeff," he said, "my heart is in no danger. That's the arrogance, the way you assume that I must be doing what you're far too self-controlled to do yourself. Maybe a fuckfest is all I want too. Did you think of that? Speaking of which"—draining his lonely glass of wine, which I'd bought him to soften the blow because no one should have to take such news on water—"why don't we settle up here and get in the car, go back to your sweet little gîte, and get started?"

It's easy to see they care for each other, even if they both deny it. The fact that they really heat the sheets doesn't hurt, either; Benet pushes Jeff's boundaries in appealing ways.

Secondary Characters:
The secondary cast of Red Light is identical to that of White Flag, comprised primarily of Matthieu's family. I particularly enjoyed seeing Charlie and Matthieu again to see how they were doing after White flag (and couldn't help snickering over Jeff's twigging to their relationship because Charlie kept grabbing Matthieu's butt at the airport). Unfortunately, other characters didn't come through nearly as well.

Juliette in particular pushed my buttons.

In White Flag, there's a reference to Juliette as spoiled but not ruined. I think that by the time Benet and Jeff are on the scene, she's edged more toward the ruined mark. She inserts herself into everything and gets upset when things don't go precisely the way she thinks they should. She has her good moments--she takes the first steps toward including Jeff in Benet's adoptive family--but overall I found her to be appallingly domineering and generally inconsiderate of others when their desires didn't necessarily correspond with her own. As she's such a large part of the story, swathes of it were unfortunately soured for me.

Story:
The story is simple enough, following Jeff as he overcomes his broken heart to find love with Benet. Just enough happens to keep things interesting, flowing nicely from point A to point B. It never lagged for me, and the passage of time (it takes place over about two weeks) was handled well, not dragging out every little detail but also not completely disregarding that the time was filled with other things.

Writing:
I love the writing in both this book and White Flag, but taken in comparison Red Light came up a bit short for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. The writing was still plush and enjoyable, but I never really found the same spark, the passages that made me want to reread them enough to commit them to memory. This isn't to say it doesn't have its moments; this made me smile:

I had an American boyfriend once, early on at college, who didn't like tongues at all when he kissed. Just a brush of the lips, a token of affection: California kisses, he called them. Dry and sensitive and all about the romance, really nothing to do with sex. That set my baseline for a scale, from Californian up to English kisses—as far as an uncertain teenager dares to go when he knows that tongues have something to do with the project but he really isn't sure what exactly, and he's just hoping the other guy is more experienced; there are people who spend their whole lives kissing like that, thus far and no further—and then the classic French, the full-on let's-see-if-I-can-reach-your-tonsils-this-time, which is nothing to do with romance or affection and really just all about the sex.

And here we were in France, and here was Benet trying to eat his way inside me, trying to entangle us so deeply he could turn us both inside out just with a tug on our inextricably knotted tongues. It was so far beyond French, it didn't even qualify for a country of its own; this was pan-galactic kissing, alien and soul shaking.

Overall:
Taken on its own, this book has a lot to offer: pleasant characters and a well-drawn setting, great chemistry and (mostly) likeable secondary characters. It pales a bit when held up next to its predecessor, but it's still a strong offering, an enjoyable, if brief, read. I certainly wouldn't object to more time spent in their world.

Review: Convincing Leopold

Title: Convincing Leopold
Series: Convincing
Author: Ava March
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 28 June 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 33,689 words

Rating: 4 out of 5

Blurb:
Mr. Leopold Thornton finally has the man he's loved for a decade, yet he can't believe his good fortune. A reformed rake and a conservative solicitor? Can it possibly last? To add to Leopold's worries, Arthur's spending more time at the office...with a handsome new secretary. Desperate not to lose Arthur, Leopold does the only thing he can think of -- use pleasure to keep him.

Mr. Arthur Barrington truly wants their relationship to work. Sinfully beautiful and devoted to him, Leopold's the opposite of Arthur's staid ex-lover. And Leopold's given up his old vices, putting those concerns to rest. Yet lately, all Leopold wants is sex -- in the study, in the carriage, and at Arthur's office, no less. The sex is amazing, but juggling demanding clients and a demanding lover leaves Arthur exhausted and worried perhaps he and Leopold aren't suited after all.

It takes one disastrous night for Arthur to realize how much Leopold means to him. But convincing Leopold he loves him, all of him and not just his body, proves difficult. For Leopold’s disappeared and Arthur hasn't a clue where to find him.

Review:

Main Characters:
Arthur has come far in the three months since he and Leopold began their relationship. Work is as taxing as ever, and his new secretary, Fenton, isn't helping to alleviate the load as much as Arthur had hoped. The bright point is the time he spends with Leopold, whether at his bachelor's apartment or Leopold's townhouse. He's ruffled by Leopold's constant pressure for sex, but can't find it in himself to turn Leopold down outright, leaving him exhausted and tetchy, wondering if he and Leopold aren't compatible after all.

Although he finally has the relationship he'd been craving with Arthur, all in Leopold's world is not roses. He's filled with doubt that Arthur sees him as anything but a convenient body, as he's convinced that surely he has nothing more to offer--something that he sees as proven when Arthur allows work to pull him away. He spirals into depression, masking it at first with brash seduction and later succumbing to it when it seems to him that Arthur has pushed him away for good. He's terribly vulnerable, defining himself by what he has to offer Arthur, desperate to keep them together, whatever it takes. I absolutely adore him, especially when he's irrational; it breaks my heart to see him suffer, and I can't help but hold my breath to see how things turn out for him.

Chemistry:
Arthur and Leopold are still an attractive couple, but, while the dynamics between them have shifted since they first came together, they haven't shifted enough. Leopold is extremely aggressive sexually, seducing Arthur anywhere and everywhere, including Arthur's office (much to Arthur's chagrin). Arthur, on the other hand, wants Leopold's company more than he does sex. Exhausted after long hours at his desk, sex is perhaps the last thing he wants most nights, but Leopold fails to read Arthur's signs and bulls his way through Arthur's resistance to give them both a tumble. As the story progresses, it's interesting to see how the dynamics play out and how they shift as the motivations behind them are revealed. I particularly enjoyed Arthur's actions after Leopold's disappearing act, and Leopold's revelation of why he behaved the way he did.

Secondary Characters:
There is actually a supporting cast this time, with a few notable players, though not many have a consistent role. Arthur's former lover, Randolph Amherst, makes a move. Arthur's assistant, Edward Fenton, pines. Leopold's footman, Jones, interferes. There are a few others who come and go, but most are really only window dressing. This isn't really a problem; again, this isn't a long book, and too many secondary characters could easily overwhelm the relationship between Arthur and Leopold. I think that a good balance was struck here.

Story:
The story is driven by assumptions and miscommunications, rather than events. Much of it is taken up with Arthur's waffling and Leopold's overcompensation; it's quite late in the story when the disastrous night rolls around. Because there's such a lead up, it does drag a bit in the beginning, but it's interesting enough to see how they evolve and interact with each other and the world at large that it is never terrible.

Writing:
Although the fragments I'd complained about in Convincing Arthur are still present, they for whatever reason didn't bother me as much. This book read in generally much more smoothly than Convincing Arthur did; even when the plot dragged a little bit, the writing kept things interesting and moving along.

Other Thoughts:
I really appreciated the reveal of Leopold's need for Arthur's undivided attention and his reactions to its lack. Depression--mental illness in general--isn't commonly addressed in male/male fiction, especially historical male/male fiction. Although it was never explicitly stated that Leopold suffered from depression, he certainly exhibited symptoms. Even better, I liked Arthur figuring out that Leopold's father was coddling him rather than living vicariously through him, and Leopold's disappointment at his father's motivations. (I felt so bad for Leopold, really. To find out at nearly-thirty-years-old that your father caters to your every whim because he doesn't think you can make it on your own is rough. Fortunately, he doesn't let it overwhelm him.)

Overall:
Evolving characters and an interesting relationship dynamic kept the pages turning in this book, even when the plot itself got a little bogged down. I found it fascinating to see the journey from where they began to where their story ended, and only wish that it was possible to see how they continued to evolve.

Review: Convincing Arthur

Title: Convincing Arthur
Series: Convincing
Author: Ava March
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 21 July 2009
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 24,949 words

Rating: 4 out of 5

Blurb:
Mr. Leopold Thornton missed his chance ten years ago. He isn't about to let this one pass him by.

Given Leopold's reputation for vice and debauchery, Mr. Arthur Barrington has a fair idea why the sinfully beautiful man invites him to his country estate. A shooting excursion? Unlikely. Especially considering Arthur is the only guest invited to the estate. He shouldn't consider the invitation, but a few days of mind-blowing sex could be just the thing to help him get over the heartbreaking end of a ten-year relationship. Then he can return to London to his thriving law practice, and quietly search for an amiable man who understands the meaning of the word discreet and who recognizes the value of commitment.

There was a time when Leopold wasn't such a rakehell. When every night didn't end with an empty bottle of whisky. When he believed in the rewards of patience. When he didn't give himself over to just anyone who'd have him. Old habits die hard, especially when tempted by six feet of solid muscle, but Leopold will only have a few days to convince Arthur he can be the man he's looking for -- that his love is genuine and he's worthy of Arthur's heart.

Review:

Main Characters:
Arthur is a rather sedate fellow who works as a solicitor. He enjoys shooting though he rarely finds the opportunity for it. He also enjoys the intimate company of other men and recently ended a ten-year relationship when he discovered that his partner intended to marry.

He's a bit of a Clark Kent, actually, as those mild manners hide the heart of a passionate romantic, a man who wants someone to grow old with but who isn't above indulging in a long weekend of vice before settling in for the search. He recalls a past friendship with Leopold fondly, and hopes that the weekend in Yorkshire will be just what his heart ordered to get over his unfaithful former-lover.

I enjoyed time spent with Arthur, though I did occasionally want to shake him--it's hard to pass a weekend of debauchery when one is holed up for nine hours with paperwork. I also wish that he hadn't been quite so blind when it came to Leopold's feelings, as he could have saved them both needless angst and separation, but one can't have everything.

Leopold, on the other hand, is quite the wastrel, promiscuous and prone to visiting gambling hells and drinking to excess. He's defined his life by what he'd missed his opportunity for: Arthur. For ten years, he's filled the Arthur-shaped hole in his life with degenerate pursuits and bided his time, waiting for his second chance at love.

I particularly enjoyed Leopold, though I wanted to shake him even more frequently than Arthur. He falls on the bottle entirely too quickly whenever he doubts himself--or more accurately whenever he doubts Arthur. When he's not able to put forth his brash, daring persona, he exhibits a level of vulnerability that makes it easy to root for his happiness, even of he does need to be smacked for shooting himself in the foot so often.

Chemistry:
Arthur and Leopold certainly generate a lot of heat together. Between Leopold's ten years of unrequited love and Arthur's need to forget the poor ending to his affair, they're two men who are perfect for each other, even were they only to lick each other's wounds. As a romance, they're surprisingly sweet, considerate of each other--in bed, at least--and balancing well. I do wish that Leopold was a little more confident and independent, though, as building his entire life around Arthur is hardly healthy.

Secondary Characters:
There really is no supporting cast; most are only mentions, like Arthur's ex-lover, or unnamed servants. Given the length of the book, that's not surprising and a larger cast really wasn't necessary.

Story:
This is definitely a character-driven story, and as such not a lot happens in it. It's mostly Arthur and Leopold learning about themselves and each other--whilst having a lot of sex. This isn't to say that the story is overwhelmed by sex, but there is a fair amount of it. After all, the long weekend of debauchery is rather the center of the story, and it focuses it very well.

Writing:
The writing is solid and enjoyable, but there is a predominant element in it that drives me nuts: sentence fragments. They're not only in dialogue or sex scenes, where I have an easier time overlooking them, but throughout the narrative. I read with a mental red pen, smoothing out the fragments, which got to be a bit distracting at times. If fragments don't bother you, though, then the writing is a delight.

Overall:
Interesting, complex characters and an amusing concept make this an easy book to like. It's fairly short, perfect for squeezing some Regency romance into a little free time, and really quite enjoyable. I'm looking forward to seeing where they've ended up in the sequel.

Review: The Luckiest

Title: The Luckiest
Series: Lucky Moon
Author: Piper Vaughn & M.J. O'Shea
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 27 March 2012
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 91,476 words

Rating: 4 out of 5

Blurb:
Rock star Nick Ventura has finally hit rock bottom. Jealous of his brother’s new love, he starts overindulging in his usual vices and winds up crashing his car into a department store in a drunken haze. Publicly humiliated and on the verge of jail time, he enters into a court-ordered rehabilitation program.

Nutritionist Luka Novak is flamboyant, effeminate, the type of gay man that bisexual Nick would normally sneer at. His sunny nature hides a deep hurt from a previous relationship. Luka knows he should be wary of Nick’s reputation, but he’s drawn to Nick despite himself. Their tentative friendship turns into romance, but Luka soon comes to realize that Nick's fear of losing his bad boy reputation means he'll probably never go public with their relationship.

Nick never thought he needed anyone, until Luka Novak came into his life. Now he has to reconcile his carefree past with the future he suddenly wants more than anything. And the first lesson he has to learn is how to become the man that both he and Luka need him to be, rather than stay the boy he always was. Alone.

Review:

Main Characters:
Nick starts out as a very angry man, aggressive in his rebellion. There are masterfully woven hints that he's more than an asshole with a substance abuse problem, especially when he's on the topic of his brother, Shane. As the story progresses, though, he turns into a marshmallow, far more than I can buy, even with the hints of vulnerability. I do like said vulnerability and his inability to marry his old public persona with the man he's become for Luka, but I found that in execution he just became way too sappy. I still liked him rather a lot, but I preferred him with a little more attitude.

Luka, on the other hand, tends toward mellow but has a spine and is not afraid to stand up for himself. He works as a nutritionist at a rehab facility, but also teaches dancing on weekends and the odd weekday with his best friend, Jeana. (Actually, I'm not quite certain if his best friend is Jeana or Stephanie, his dog, but he has a lot of love to share.) He's described in the blurb as flamboyant and effeminate, but it doesn't come out much in the story itself, aside from his calling everyone 'hon' and 'sweetie' and liking musicals; it's enough to be a flavor of his flamboyance without overwhelming his character.

Chemistry:
Nick and Luka are certainly an entertaining couple, playing Luka's stubborn calm off of Nick's equally stubborn aggravation. The evolution from nutritionist and patient to lovers is lovely; I particularly enjoyed Nick's late-night/early-morning phone calls to discuss things he'd be damned if he mentioned to his therapist. The initial build of their relationship is very slow, but the burn of it is appealing, feeding back in on itself until it finally comes together.

I did wonder at times, though, how they actually stayed together as a couple. Nick fucks up. A lot. And Luka makes him suffer for a while but takes him back every time. By the time Nick's final fuck-up is resolved and they're back together for their happily ever after, I was getting a little frustrated. Nick the rock star and Nick the person never quite found a happy medium, despite his final acceptance and announcement of his life with Luka. It goes back to my preferring Nick with a little more attitude.

Secondary Characters:
The supporting cast is mostly returning characters from Moonlight Becomes You. Shane and Jesse both have decent parts (particularly in the later part of the story), and Dre has more of a presence as Nick's best friend. (Will, the fourth member of Luck, still got shafted, though.) On Luka's side, it's primarily Jeana and Stephanie. The secondary cast is mostly fleshed out well, with unique personalities and interesting interactions. I particularly enjoyed Shane in this story; it was interesting to see his evolution from Moonlight Becomes You, as he displayed rather a lot of growth. (I'd imagine he'd display even more if I had knowledge of the free stories that bridged the gap between Moonlight Becomes You and The Luckiest--I haven't read them yet--but what there is with only the two main books is satisfying.)

Story:
The story itself traces Nick's growth as a person by way of his relationship with Luka. It has its ups and downs and is generally well-paced, though it did drag in a few areas. (Honestly, I skimmed a lot of the sex; it got a bit repetitive after a while.)

There were a few unanswered questions for me. A situation comes up with Dr. Miller (the therapist at the rehab facility) in which he's harassing Luka about having someone better who should take his job. Luka resolves to discuss it with his boss, but that's the end of it. It struck me as unfinished and, as such, something that really didn't need to be included. I'm also still confused about the Rohypnol. Never mind that I find the premise that it just so happened to be in a random drink that Luka picked up ridiculous, it also seemed to peter out to nothing but a little bit of angst for Nick that perhaps he was too rough in bed.

There were also some elements that were too evocative of Moonlight Becomes You. There's the revealing talk about the Venturas' shitty childhood. There's the sudden craving for submission. There's the final grand gesture on stage to prove that their love really is true. Had I not read them back to back I might not have noticed or minded as much, but with The Luckiest right on top of Moonlight Becomes you, the redundancy was glaring.

Writing:
The writing style was a high point for me; it was easy to get sucked into. My main complaint is that, as the story progressed, it got harder and harder to tell Nick and Luka's narrations apart. When the story begins, there's a different energy in Nick's narration that's mostly disappeared by the end, leaving Nick and Luka almost identical.

Other Thoughts:
If the third book in the Lucky Moon series is not about Em, I will be very sad.

Overall:
Appealingly flawed characters with interesting evolution both separately and together kept me engaged. Although I missed Nick's attitude by the end and wish that a few loose ends had been tied up, it was still a story that I enjoyed very much. I look forward to picking up the final book in the trilogy.

Review: Moonlight Becomes You

Title: Moonlight Becomes You
Series: Lucky Moon
Author: Piper Vaughn & M.J. O'Shea
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 9 August 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 139 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Blurb:
Eleven years ago Shane Ventura made the biggest mistake of his life when he caved in to pressure from his record label to kick his best friend Jesse Seider out of their band, Luck. Though he had a gorgeous voice, Jesse wasn't beautiful and didn't fit the label's ideal look. But Shane's never wanted anyone else more, and all the sex and alcohol in the world can't fill the void Jesse left behind.

As his thirty-second birthday approaches, Shane's more miserable than ever. Even the prospect of teaming up with Britain's hottest band, Moonlight, for an epic world tour can't get him out of his depressive funk. Until he meets lead singer, Kayden Berlin, and falls into instant lust.

Though Kayden acts like he’s not interested, Shane knows he feels the spark between them. The harder Shane pushes, the more Kayden pulls away. Then one explosive night things finally come to a head and Shane is left nursing a broken heart. That seems to be Shane's lot -- lucky at everything but love. But there's a lesson in store for Shane: when it comes to love, you can’t always leave things to chance.

Review:

Main Characters:
Shane is the quintessential bad boy rocker--well into sex, drugs, and alcohol. As we meet him, he's grown tired of the lifestyle, though, and depressed at how empty his life is. His biggest regret is leaving behind his best friend, Jesse, when the band forced him out as a contract requirement. He's uneven as a narrator, which conveys quite well his confusion and frustration over the situation with Kayden. I do wish that he'd had a backbone and stood up for Jesse when they were signed, rather than rolling over and taking what the others decided without a fight. I did ultimately like his evolution, though, from spoiled, jaded rock star to acknowledging and moving past his failings.

Kayden runs hot and cold, quite literally--one moment he's freezing Shane out, the next heat is flaring between them. When it comes to everyone but Shane and Nick, Shane's younger brother, he's a darling, sweet and funny, which makes his treatment of Shane jarring. He's not afraid to stand up for himself and tell Shane no, even if it is a struggle for him at times. He has a large secret to keep from Shane, though, and the revelation of it... well, although I saw it coming from the beginning, I wish it had gone in a different direction, or at least that the motivations behind it had been different, as the latter made me completely re-evaluate him as a character and ultimately like him less than I had up to that point. Honestly, I read him after the revelation as obsessive to the point of being unhealthy--manipulating the joint tour simply to be able to get revenge for the hurt that Shane caused him all those years before is not the sign of a well-balanced psyche. When I skimmed over the story again, the way that I regarded him had changed completely and left me with a not-quite-pleasant taste in my mouth. Yes, Shane was an asshole. Yes, Shane is still an asshole. That doesn't make it any more palatable.

Chemistry:
There's no denying the attraction between Shane and Kayden, even when Kayden is shooting Shane down. It's nearly halfway through the story before they so much as come close to a kiss, but the tension is intoxicating, and makes their late consummation more than worth it. Although sex does happen in the story, there is comparatively little sexual content, so those looking for more action than tension may be disappointed. I, however, found it to be the perfect balance.

Secondary Characters:
The supporting cast is comprised mostly of the band members of Luck and Moonlight, the latter more than the former (given Shane's point of view). The largest presence is Nick, the other members of Luck fading into the background enough that I can barely remember who Dre is and completely forgot the fourth member's name. (Given that the next story in the series is Nick's, this isn't much of a surprise.) Unfortunately, I didn't particularly like Nick; he was living the rock star lifestyle well before he had the rock star cred and comes across more as a blitzed-out complete waste of oxygen than an interesting character.

Story:
The story follows Shane's evolution as he attempts to get to know Kayden on their shared tour and is interspersed with flashbacks to his relationship with Jesse before it went to shit. Points A and B are fairly transparent from early on, but the path between them is fun, with some nice twists.

Writing:
I particularly enjoyed the writing in this book; it wasn't perfect, but the flow of it was still smooth and light, with just the right touch of detail. It was easy to get lost in it; it wasn't until I had to set it down due to an outside stimulus that I came out of the story, which is a nice change from those stories where I'm constantly checking my current location to see how much I had left.

Overall:
Mostly-appealing characters and a pleasant if transparent story made this book easy to like. Although I'm still torn on the reality of Kayden, I enjoyed my time spent reading it and look forward to spending more time in their world.

Review: Maxxed Out

Title: Maxxed Out
Series: Inside Out
Author: Treva Harte
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 21 September 2010
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 21,836 words

Rating: 2 out of 5

Blurb:
Max knows his family and friends aren't sure what to make of his moods and impulses. But he's in college now and ready to show them he's grown up and ready to make mature choices. At least he's ready for a serious relationship and almost ready to tell his family he's gay. He could use a little help, though.

With his loving big brother gone forever, who is left to ask for help? Daniel Rocco, his brother's best friend and his longtime crush, of course. Daniel is solid and reliable--the opposite of Max. But for some reason, Daniel seems terrified of what Max might do next.

Review:

Main Characters:
Max is a 19-year-old college student who is ready to come out to his parents. He's messed around with guys in the past--in a "we're drunk and no women are around" sort of way--and he's ready now to admit to the world that he wants something more meaningful. To help him in his coming out, he enlists the aid of his late older brother's friend Daniel... or so we're told. In actuality, he comes across as manipulative and bratty, using the situation to seduce Daniel. The way he went about his manipulation made me rather dislike him, in truth.

Daniel is older (though it's never clarified just how much), working as an ER tech after leaving the military due to an encounter with a land mine that left him with a critical injury to one leg. He doesn't believe that he's good for anyone now and pushes people away when they threaten to get close. He cuts a fairly pathetic figure, actually. I liked him in general more than Max, though there were moments of behavior that made me want to smack him.

Chemistry:
Max and Daniel are an interesting couple, even if I do find the way they get together (Max's aforementioned manipulation) to be unappealing. Max has had a crush on Daniel for years and runs with it, while Daniel struggles to equate the 12-year-old he remembers with the college student trying to get into his pants. Their sexual dynamic is also interesting, if it sometimes makes me frown; I'll just be getting into the scene and actually buying into the characters, and then Daniel calls Max "boy" and my distaste skyrockets. Not what I look for.

There were also a few actions that I couldn't buy into, including the first blowjob. Seriously. They're sitting in a restaurant, Max drops his knife, and suddenly decides that while he's down there he just has to get his mouth on Daniel's cock? It was so absurd that I had to reread it to make sure that it wasn't just a fantasy.

Secondary Characters:
The secondary characters are few in number--not surprising given the length of the story. The most important one for much of the story is actually Max's late brother, Matt, despite not actually being present and dwelling in the spaces between. It worked for him and for Max and Daniel.

Story:
The bulk of the story is Max's seduction of Daniel and the sex that results, though there is an event later in the story that leads to the resolution that Max was purportedly originally going for. The event, however... While in a bar to celebrate Max's successful fucking of Daniel, they argue, Max starts to leave, then comes back to shove his tongue down Daniel's throat. As a result, when he starts to leave a second time, he's attacked by three locals, out of whom Daniel promptly beats the shit. It just seemed gratuitous, like an awkward contrivance to bring them together with Max's parents for the big revelation.

Writing:
The writing was mostly solid, a few errors here and there but nothing terrible. Something seemed to be missing, though; I was never wowed by a turn of phrase. Competent, but not really anything special for me.

Overall:
Characters I never quite came to like and motivations behind the story that I found distasteful meant that I just couldn't get behind this. Those who mind manipulation less may find more here, but it's unfortunately just not the book for me.

Review: Faith & Fidelity

Title: Faith & Fidelity
Series: Faith, Love & Devotion
Author: Tere Michaels
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 23 September 2008
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 229 pages

Rating: 2 out of 5

Blurb:
New York City Vice Detective Evan Cerelli has lost his wife, the only person he ever loved and slept with. He's trying to get on with his life, build a life for his children. Former Homicide Detective Matt Haight is a ladies' man, all sex/no commitment. He's depressed, having a midlife crisis, and not sure where his life is headed.

The two find friendship in the bottom of a shared bottle. When the friendship turns to love, it shakes two straight men to the core and flips their lives inside out. Kids, families, careers that are not gay-friendly -- can all the love in the world overcome the obstacles to faith and fidelity?

Review:

Main Characters:
Evan is an officer with the NYPD, working in Vice. He lost his wife, Sherri, to an accident, and has been struggling since then to pull himself together to raise their four children. He's never had romantic thoughts about anyone but his wife--much less another man--and doesn't know what to make of it when attraction blooms between him and Matt. He's a mire of doubt and self-flagellation, and doesn't know how to go about helping himself. I found him hard to relate to; although his grief was palpable and well-done, it was also almost entirely who he was for the vast majority of the story.

Matt is a former Homicide detective, drummed out of the force after taking down a crooked cop and working now in private security. He's on a downward slide; he's alone and lonely, and the drinking he uses to cope with his life is beginning to take its toll. Although he does cut a rather pathetic figure, at least in the beginning, I found him much easier to invest in. I wouldn't say necessarily that I like him, but I at least didn't want to shake him as often as I did Evan.

Chemistry:
Evan and Matt begin as friends, bonding over each having lost their purpose for living--Evan lost Sherri, while Matt lost his position with the NYPD. It develops fairly quickly into attraction on Matt's part, lingers as one-sided for a short while, then bursts into a shared passion during a night of comfort. I wish the friendship had lingered longer, actually, as once they both recognized and acknowledged the attraction, things moved very quickly, almost too much so for my tastes.

Although they are attracted to each other, there is not a lot of sexual contact in this book; it focuses more on their growth as a couple, rather than their heat between the sheets. In fact, they never actually have penetrative sex. Handjobs, blowjobs, and frottage all make an appearance, but they never actually have intercourse. It's a surprising change, and actually rather refreshing. That being said: some of the situations in which they have sex throw me. The downstairs couch plays a big part in many of their sexual encounters, sometimes when the kids are asleep upstairs. If I were them, I'd be constantly on edge, waiting for someone to come downstairs (as kids are wont to do) and catch me in a compromising situation. I just couldn't believe that a man who cared so much about his children would leave such a chance open.

Secondary Characters:
There is a large supporting cast, mostly on Evan's side. Although large, they're never quite overwhelming and mostly well-drawn, though the motivations of some are questionable. (Sherri's parents elude and frustrate me. They apparently blame Evan for not only killing Sherri, but for taking her away in the first place. Don't people usually leave their parents' home when they marry? Why bear such a large grudge that they actually try to keep his children from him? It doesn't make sense.) The kids were the high points, although I also rather liked Vic and Helena.

Story:
The bulk of the story is Evan working through his grief. There is a lot of dwelling upon Sherri and their life together. A lot. Things come to a head after Evan is injured in the line of duty, leaving Evan and Matt to deal with the fallout of Evan's latest crisis. The events are a logical, appealing progression, but the pacing is frequently dragged down by the focus on Evan's all-consuming grief.

There doesn't really seem to be a whole lot of closure in this story. There are a number of threads left loose, and the ending is rather abrupt. The third book in the series apparently revisits Evan and Matt, which hopefully means that those issues left unaddressed with be resolved, but at least a little more tidying up at the end of this book couldn't have hurt.

Writing:
The writing was perhaps the weakest point of the book. There are frequent errors--typos, grammatical errors, word substitutions or misspellings, even a couple of what appear to be Find and Replace errors. The author had trouble keeping straight some facts, ages in particular. (Miranda is 16 or 17 depending on the scene. Sherri is 34 when she dies and apparently the same age as Evan, but Evan is later referred to as "nearly 40". Matt is identified as 42, but later is described as approaching 45.) And the ellipses... God, the ellipses. Every conversation--sometimes every line of dialogue--is littered with ellipses. There are 832 ellipses in this book. That's a lot of ellipses.

There are also a lot of shifts in the point of view. Most of the time they're delineated by section breaks, but there are also switches within the same narrative. Sometimes those switches are even to secondary characters, which makes them particularly jarring.

Other Thoughts:
I read this as a PDF, and the formatting is all sorts of crazy. There's white space where there shouldn't be white space and line breaks and indents where there should be a continuous flow. I'd thought it might be due to something with my Kindle Fire (which has thrown funky formatting at me on other PDFs), but viewing it on my laptop has the same formatting errors. Until I got the hang of reading where there was supposed to be white space and where there wasn't, things were a bit confusing.

Another thing that bothers me is the set-up for the sequel: After Evan pushes Matt away, Matt mopes about and after a while ends up at a bar to get his drunk on and maybe pick up some tail. While there, he meets James, in town for an unknown reason (at least that I can recall). They bond over beer and broken hearts, and eventually end up going back to James's hotel room and getting freaky. Not only was it very transparent as a set-up for James's story, but the ease with which Matt fell into bed with James was kind of startling. I was half-expecting the story to end with Matt and James getting together, while Evan went on with his miserable life.

Overall:
Uneven pacing bogged down by angst and problematic writing made this a difficult book for me to like. Although the characters are interesting beneath their grief, a little more growth and a little less wallowing would have helped make this ultimately-unsatisfying story shine.

Review: Daybreak

Title: Daybreak
Series: Eight Nights
Author: Keira Andrews
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 16 December 2008
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 135 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Blurb:
Lucas and Nate enjoyed eight steamy nights of forbidden romance last year at Hanukkah. Now after months of long-distance dating, they're living in their own apartment in Greenwich Village and beginning a new life together. Lucas hates lying to Nate's family about the true nature of their relationship, but being with Nate is worth it.

They revel in having a private place to explore their relationship -- and every inch of each other -- but Nate and Lucas soon discover that living together isn't always perfect. When an unexpected betrayal shatters their tentative happiness, they struggle to find their way back together as the holidays approach once more. As their first magical nights together become a distant memory, can Lucas and Nate's relationship survive the break of day?

Review:

Main Characters:
Lucas has grown up a bit since Eight Nights, transferring to NYU and finding a studio apartment to share with Nate. He does, however, still have a lot of growing up left to do, and a series of his bad decisions drive much of the story. It's interesting to see him growing into his possibilities.

Nate, on the other hand, still seems stuck where Eight Nights left him; despite spending the summer in Europe with his parents, he's no closer to telling them of either his orientation or his change in major. He's developed a jealous streak that is actually rather charming (most of the time), but he's also gotten prickly to the point that I sometimes found myself wondering what Lucas saw in him.

Chemistry:
Although the story begins with their living together, the sense that they didn't know each other was pervasive. They had sex--plenty of sex--and got on quite well in that aspect, but found themselves butting heads in other aspects of their lives. As events played out and they were separated, I wondered if it would even be for the best for them to get back together. That being said, they're still an attractive couple, just a very immature one, both with plenty of room left to find themselves.

Secondary Characters:
There is a large supporting cast, though they rotate through fairly quickly so that the numbers are never overwhelming. Some drove me nuts--I wish Casey hadn't played out the way he did--but others were surprisingly enjoyable; I particularly enjoyed the scenes with Nate's father or Sam. The secondary characters were breathed with just enough life to make them interesting without dragging the focus away from where it belonged, with Lucas and Nate.

Story:
As I'd mentioned, a large force in the story is Lucas's bad decisions, though they're not the only key points. Although some of the critical events, whether through Lucas's actions or an outside influence, came as a surprise, none of them struck me as gratuitous. My biggest complaint is the pat ending, when a particular player completely reverses a stance they'd taken regarding Lucas and Nate just in time for family sap; it seemed a little forced, and I'd rather have seen a more natural progression to resolution, rather than a switch being flipped.

Writing:
I enjoyed the writing in this book rather more than that of Eight Nights, though that may be simply because the author had rather more time to hit their stride. The balance of showing and telling was still excellent, and the dialogue was strong.

Overall:
Interesting (if sometimes frustrating) characters and a well-crafted story make this an easy book to like. Although the ending was a bit of a letdown, the rest of the story was charming enough to bear up through the stumble. I'm only sorry that we don't get to find out more about how Lucas and Nate grow into themselves.

Review: Eight Nights

Title: Eight Nights
Series: Eight Nights
Author: Keira Andrews
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: December 2007
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 63 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5

Blurb:
Lucas McKenzie figures spending the holidays with his annoying roommate's family is better than being alone on campus. The last thing he expects is to lust over Sam's brother -- or for Nate to actually want him back.

They hide their attraction during Hanukkah celebrations, but behind closed doors, Lucas and Nate can't keep their hands (or mouths) off each other. Nate's only looking for a bit of holiday fun, and amazing sex with a hot virgin definitely fits the bill.

Yet as the candles burn, Nate and Lucas begin to realize eight nights will never be enough.

Review:

Main Characters:
Lucas is... cute is the first word that comes to mind. An older college freshman due to his father's illness and eventual death, he's on a pre-med track and not quite certain that it's what he wants to do with his life. He's certain he's gay but never actually had any gay experiences--never even gotten over his nerves to look into his college's gay alliance. He's shy and uncertain and, well, cute.

Nate is far more confident--at least when it comes to anything but his family. He's out to his friends and pursuing an interest in photography, but he's afraid of his family finding out both his sexuality and that for him photography is more than a hobby.

Chemistry:
The relationship between Lucas and Nate is tinged with desperation, between Lucas's inexperience, the timeframe instituted by Lucas's visitation to Nate's family's home, and Nate's insistence that he doesn't want anything look longterm. The fumbling discovery of each other is charming--a bit silly at times, but it works within the context. They spend time together outside of having sex, so it's easy to believe that they might have a future as they slowly grow to know each other.

Secondary Characters:
For the length, this book has a fairly broad cast of secondary characters. Most aren't very consistent in their appearances, thankfully, but the central unit of Nate's family is present throughout. Sam and Nate's mother are the strongest, the latter moreso than the former. Lucas in particular interacts with them the most (not surprising, given that he's the story's narrator, but also because Nate tends to disappear to his bedroom when not required) and it's just enough to build another layer to the characters and story.

Story:
There's not a lot that actually happens here; it's driven by the characters, rather than events. There are a few instances of Lucas and Nate exploring the City, but the bulk of the story is spent in Nate's family's home or, more specifically, Nate's bedroom.

Writing:
The writing is competent, enjoyable if not stellar. The balance of showing and telling is excellent, and there are very few errors.

Overall:
Pleasant characters make this an enjoyable story set against the backdrop of Hanukkah. It's a nice bite of story and serves well as a set-up to the sequel, which I will definitely be picking up.

Review: White Flag

Title: White Flag
Author: Thom Lane
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: July 2009
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 68 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5

Blurb:
Charlie is a nomad, a travel writer who will never settle down. Easy come, easy go: all his boyfriends have been flings or one-night stands. "Love them and leave them" is his motto, the rule he lives by. Until he meets Matthieu one day, by the side of a French canal. After a long hot night together, Charlie realises that this is at last the man he wants to keep, the perfect companion for his wanderlust life.

Matt is a beauty, a treasure, a joy—a man who knows just where he belongs, and means to stay there. His family has made wine here for generations; this valley is his home, and not even his passion for Charlie can shift him.

There can be no doubt of their love, but their own natures contrive to pull them apart—unless one surrenders. But will rolling stone or rooted tree raise the white flag?

Review:

Characters:
Charlie is a travel writer on assignment in France to write an article on canal boating. He's a nomad with a London flat he could just as well do without, who enjoys traveling the world far too much to settle. He knows what he wants but also does a good job of pushing it out of his lap when what he wants falls into it. He's adaptable and respectful, willing to please others but also capable of playful irreverence. In short: he's rather a charming rake.

Matthieu is what Charlie is not: he found where he belongs and is not ready to give it up. He has purpose in working for his uncle's winery and being surrounded by family, and is absolutely baffled by Charlie's wanderlust. He's less hesitant to pursue what he wants and is prepared to cling to it once he's gotten it, not wanting to let anything go without at least trying to make it work. He's as charming as Charlie, in his own way, and certainly very easy to like.

The relationship between Charlie and Matthieu is adorably awkward, sweetly comfortable, and satisfyingly steamy by turns. Their initial tap dancing was downright cute, and the result of it was definitely hot. The scene at the pool and the ease they display with each other never fails to make me smile.

The supporting cast was universally appealing, with my high point being Grandmére. They beautifully served to further define Matthieu, as well as to build the world in which he lived.

Story:
The story is carried by the characters, rather than driven by events. Because of this, not a whole lot happens--and not-a-whole-lot happens very well. Much of the story involves the building of relationships, not only between Charlie and Matthieu, but also between Charlie and Matthieu's family.

Writing:
I found the manner in which the story was told to be delightful. Written in the first person from Charlie's point of view, the story flows as easily as though it was a conversation between him and the reader. Things that would normally drive me nuts (like sentence fragments) just worked here.

And, really, things like this just make happy:

At least, I told stories I'd picked up in my travels, and he talked about life in the valley here. We hardly actually mentioned ourselves at all. They were stories about chance-met strangers and close neighbours, always other people, other lives; but they served well enough for self-portraits. This is how I live, who I live among; the only person missing from this narrative is myself. See that gap I left, the absence in the story? That's where I fit, exactly. Like portraits drawn in silhouette and shadow. We gave ourselves away with every word.

This style carries through even the sex scenes, which are mildly graphic and very nicely done. The use of the euphemism greedy little tyrant also makes me smile.

Overall:
If I had to pick only a handful of books to take with me to a desert island, this would be one of them. Although it's fairly short, it is a definite argument for quality over quantity--and the length makes it perfect for a quick comfort read.

Review: Snow Angel

Title: Snow Angel
Author: Sharon Maria Bidwell
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 19 December 2006
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 136 pages

Rating: 1 out of 5

Review: It was a simple case of mistaken identity when Dean, newly returned home after college, kisses Jay, a childhood friend and brother of Dean's intended target. What neither realizes is just what an impact such a small mistake can have on their lives.

Dean is, for me, thoroughly unlikable, just absolutely appalling. He has notes of crazy stalker/rapist to go with his complexes, and spends a lot of time focusing on how nothing is really his fault. He's big and good-looking--I get that--but his personality leaves a lot to be desired, even when he's not vaguely creeping me out. He never really seems to grow; things just align themselves to him, rather than him making any real changes.

Jay is rather spineless and hard to root for--something about someone who uses the phrase 'use me' makes me think that someone is going to need a large savings for therapy bills. He bends over even when he should be asking for help, but shoves help away when he does get it. He's aggravating most of the time, honestly, in his sheer milquetoast-ness.

As a couple, Dean and Jay push all the wrong buttons for me. That crazy stalker/rapist thing? Never quite goes away, and dubious consent is not exactly my thing. (Seriously: you let yourself into the home of a friend with whom your last interaction was an argument, find him masturbating, and invite yourself to join in before he knows any better, and that's not even slightly inappropriate?) I could never get past that vibe enough to even begin to grasp any other facet of their relationship well enough to compensate.

The supporting cast is small and bitchy--April (Jay's sister) is a seething pit of bitchiness for most of the story in a way that makes her seem less concerned older sister and more psycho hosebeast. I started skimming her scenes as the story went on because 'fuck off and die' can really be conveyed only so many ways.

The story itself was terribly disjointed, mostly feeding back into itself in the stalker/rapist craziness through a string of sex scenes. Actual plot happened here and there, but didn't help much; the climactic confrontation over Jay's car came out of nowhere and was handled clumsily, with an off-the-cuff disdain that would alarm me were we dealing with real people. (Two words: tetanus shot.)

The writing style is also not to my taste. Most of the time, I get what the author's trying to do, but it falters stylistically before it's pulled off. As an example, this is pulled from a scene towards the end:

Seeking, asking with caresses, Jay's fingers worked at buttons. He tugged the zip down. The prison gaped. The prisoner sought early release. Jay took the naked captive and soothed the punishment with kisses.

This is part of one paragraph. The entire scene went along in this vein. (If you don't see a problem there, more power to you. Like I said, not my taste.) Frequent editing errors didn't help.

I usually know I'm in trouble when I start counting pages; nothing says non-immersive experience like the compulsive need to see how much there is left before it's done. If you don't mind dub-con, maybe you'll find more here than I did, but I don't think I'll be looking again.

Review: Squire

Title: Squire
Series: Indigo Knights
Author: Jet Mykles
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 7 September 2010
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 165 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: Rabin's looking to reinvent his band, Indigo Knights, when he arrives in Chicago. Working closely and living (temporarily) with Brent Rose, guitarist for the famous band Heaven Sent, things are looking up--especially when Rabin meets Izzy, Brent's cousin who is also sharing his house. Although Rabin isn't interested in men, there's something between him and Izzy that he just can't ignore, and it's not long before they're heating the sheets. Things are fine with their secret relationship until Rabin receives an offer that will take him half a continent away from Chicago--and from Izzy. It's his musical dream or Izzy, but which will triumph in the end?

Rabin is a character from the Heaven Sent series, having appeared in Genesis. I never quite got around to reading that one, so I'm not sure how much development he had there, but it struck me that much of the original ground laying must have been done there, as his character came across as already established by the first few pages of this story. If you've read Genesis, great, but if you're ignorant of that or Heaven Sent as a whole, it's a bit of a detriment.

That being said, I do like Rabin as more of his character is explored. He's down-to-earth and open-minded, fairly easy-going but not a pushover, and excited by new opportunities. I enjoyed him tooling around with Brent as much as I enjoyed him fooling around with Izzy; it was pleasant to see the different facets of his personality.

Izzy was a bit more of a cliché, and I never really grasped him as much more than a fairy stereotype. He was likable enough, but I never really felt that he had his own personality, or at least not enough of one to make a huge impression. He's sweet and seductive, just a bit generic.

Together, Rabin and Izzy were comfortable. Despite Izzy being Rabin's first male lover, the relationship was surprisingly without drama, slipping easily from Izzy's harmless flirting to their spending nights hooking up in hotel rooms. There was never much tension, which is unfortunate in my book; everything was instant (or very nearly) gratification. Even the reactions surrounding their separation were low-key, when just a hint more conflict would have been nice.

Most of the conflict came from the supporting cast, in particular the other original members of Indigo Knights. Even then, aside from some musical squabbling, most of it came in the form of raging homophobia, so over-the-top given the mildness of every other thing in the story as to be a little ridiculous.

Personally, I was also a bit dismayed that Brent and Hell were the couple carried over from Heaven Sent; they're my least favorite couple, and Hell is my least favorite character overall. Fortunately, though they (Brent, in particular) are central to the story, the time spent with them (Hell, in particular) isn't great.

The story itself is pretty predictable, especially if you're familiar with the author, and as comfortable as the characters themselves. You might know exactly what's going to happen between points A and B, but that doesn't make the journey any less pleasant. It's also set up much like Heaven Sent, with sequels (not yet written as of this posting) for each of the band members, so there will be plenty more time to spend in their world.

Although it's nothing earth-shattering, this is still an enjoyable read, perfect to devour during a long soak in the tub (and just short enough that you may still even have some hot water left at the end of it). I look forward to the release of the sequels to see how Rabin and Izzy are doing.

Review: Finding Home

Title: Finding Home
Series: Quinn Security
Author: Cameron Dane
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 13 May 2008
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 97 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Rhone doesn't know what he was thinking when he offered a job to the kid who picked his pocket. As time passes, though, the kid--Adam--becomes such a part of Rhone's life that he can't imaging it without him. Living together, working together, all that's missing is the reciprocation of the love that Adam feels for Rhone, but is too afraid to confess. Will they be able to move beyond their expectations of each other to find love?

Rhone is my favorite of the two. He's confident and put-together, but also somehow vulnerable. His reaction to events later in the story made me want to hug him, which is always a bonus. His obliviousness is absolutely adorable, too, and his regard for Adam is touching.

Adam is an interesting character, but ultimately not one I could really relate to. Divorced from sex, I really like him; he's so determined to make himself worthy of Rhone that you can't help but root for him. Throw the sex into the mix, though, and... well... it changes things a bit for me. His fantasies put me off a bit, honestly.

The supporting cast is fun, if few. I really like Canin and Kasey, for the little she's in the book, is appealing--again, divorced from the sex. The squabbling between the two is also charming, though not quite enough to get me past the summary to read their sequel.

The chemistry between Rhone and Adam is... interesting. I love it when it's unresolved, between Adam's quiet affection and Rhone's complete ignorance of it. When it's realized and consummated, though, is when I run into issues. The sex is admittedly hot, but the way it's led into isn't quite my cuppa.

The story itself revolves around the evolution of the relationship between Rhone and Adam, so it's very character-driven. The evolution is natural (mostly) and sweet, and the writing itself is quite nice. Although both characters present their point-of-view, it's clearly delineated as to whose point-of-view is current, rather than smushed all together and alternating by paragraph.

There are some word choices that threw me, especially in the sex talk. Penis shows up bracketed by ass and fuck. Adam is pumped full of ejaculate. The back of Adam's throat is stamped by Rhone's piss-slit. My frequent pausing to blink over that terminology threw me out of the story--more specifically the sex--more than once.

I also had to wonder at Adam's transition from virgin to sex god. Really, practically within the same sexual encounter. His technique went from zero to sixty in a handful of pages, which I found quite difficult to believe, given that his history was mostly masturbating with a dildo. It's a minor point, but it's another thing that put me off the sex.

I really did enjoy this story, despite my quibbles. Rereading it, I think I'll skip the sex, though, and just revel in the sweetness of their relationship without it.

Review: To the Highest Bidder

Title: To the Highest Bidder
Author: Kate Steele
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 8 December 2008
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 106 pages

Rating: 2 out of 5

Review: Ben is delighted when his partner presents him with lunch with his favorite TV star for his birthday. Unfortunately, Mitch is seemingly nothing like the character he plays on TV, being such an ass that Ben can't escape their awkward meeting soon enough. When Mitch contacts him to apologize for his behavior, it seems too good to be true. Can it really work between a gay bookstore owner and a supposedly straight TV star?

Ben is an affable character, likable enough that it's no struggle to enjoy his point of view. I cheered his walking out from lunch with Mitch, but it seemed as though his spine deserted him after that; by the time he left Mitch's house after Mitch's apology, I was wondering what had happened to his self-regard. That parting seemed gratuitous to me, not something I would expect from the grown man I'd been led to believe Ben was.

Mitch never really appealed to me, though I can't pin down why. He was perhaps too good to be true, initial douchebaggery aside, so that I couldn't really identify with him as a character. His traumatic past struck me as unnecessary, or at least built up to an unnecessary degree--again, gratuitous.

Given the length of the story, it's pretty much a given that supporting cast is thin on the ground. Becca was really the only consistent secondary character, and she was never developed beyond the stereotypical super-supportive straight female best friend. A little variance would have been refreshing.

The chemistry between Ben and Mitch was okay, but the sex never really pulled me in. Some ridiculous sex talk didn't really help; I can't read "shoot my wad" and take it seriously. I just can't. I also have to confess to being a bit put off by the description on an erect penis as a stalk. It might be correct by definition, but I can't help but picture said erect penis as rather more green and leafy.

There were a fair number of grammatical errors scattered throughout, though nothing particularly heinous. However, I think there was a sale at the adjective store. One of Ben's orgasms was so overly described as to be ridiculous; I really didn't need that much information about his come. Some of the dialogue was also... weird. I don't understand the conversation at the end of chapter 3 much at all, for example; the allusions could go in so many directions, for all that none of the ones I could come up with struck me as particularly funny.

Not directly related to anything... why is the clean conversation so prevalent? "By the way, I always use a condom and get tested, so I'm clean." "Oh, me, too. I just got tested and also always use condoms. You'll not be catching any vile STDs from me!" Is this part of foreplay to which I've never been introduced? Or does it only apply to gay men? It baffles me, especially when the characters themselves even outright acknowledge it as mood-killing. It's not necessary, it's sure as Hell not hot, so why include it? Are we supposed to assume that any character not having the clean conversation is secretly a festering pit of venereal disease?

For a novella, I took me far too long to finish; once I put it down, it was a struggle to pick it up again. I liked the premise, but I think that the execution has a long way to go.

Review: With The Band

Title: With The Band
Author: L.A. Witt
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 22 March 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 250 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: Aaron is back home after his last band self-destructed, along with his relationship with Jason, its guitarist. Joining Schadenfreude, the band his brother and sister started with their friends, brothers Andre and Bastian, seems like the perfect opportunity--especially when the temperature between him and Bastian skyrockets. The only problem? The others will never approve of a relationship between band members. Add to the mix a psycho ex-girlfriend and a battle of the bands, and it's not so much a question of if things will fall apart as it is when.

Aaron is an appealing character, young and fresh. He's a fairly mild personality, with hints of mischievousness but never really stand-out in any direction. He's likable enough, just a bit underwhelming.

Bastian is even more mild, defined more by those that surround him than by himself. He's also likable enough, but still underwhelming.

Most of the cast, actually, is pretty middle-of-the-road. Even Denise (the psycho ex-girlfriend) is fairly vanilla, without any real development or surprises. They behave as you would expect them to behave and never really grow. This isn't to say that they're bad characters--I certainly enjoyed my time with them. There's just lots of things left to explore with them.

The chemistry between Aaron and Bastian is great, fraught with tension and heavy with anticipation. The build-up to their first kiss was awesome, and there's always the sense of heat between them, whatever the situation. I also particularly enjoy that they converse; the entire scene in the hospital made me smile, as too often the couple is too busy screwing around to actually, y'know, get to know each other. It's because of things like that that I could actually see them working as a couple, rather than fuckbuddies.

The story itself is fairly predictable for a band story, with a happy ending that I rather enjoyed. I can't shake the sense that nothing ever really happened, though. What drama there was was quickly resolved, and the conflict, despite the secrecy and issues, was minimal, mostly explored in exposition rather than events. This isn't to say that I didn't like the story as a whole--I did--but I still can't shake the feeling that there could have been a bit more in the way of plot.

I feel I'm doing a bit of a disservice, really, as I read this in fits and starts over the course of a week, but it never quite grabbed me enough for me to read it in a sitting. This may have lessened some of the impact, but I did still enjoy the time I spent with it. The characters were likable, the sex was hot--there are certainly worse ways to pass time.

Review: Lord and Master

Title: Lord and Master
Series: Lord and Master
Author: Jules Jones
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 13 February 2007
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 148 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Mark is a PhD candidate looking for some job experience. Steven is an entrepreneur in need of a PA. It's lust at first sight, though they're having too much fun playing the are-they-aren't-they game to fall into bed--or at least across a desk--immediately. The heat burning between them becomes undeniable after an exhausting day, and its consummation sets in motion changes in both of them.

This is a very... cozy story. It's about two people finding each other, growing together. What conflict there is is easily overcome, whether its the reactions of peers or Steven's mental illness. It's characters rather then events that move the story along.

Given that so much of the focus is on the characters, it's a damned good thing that they're so likeable. I like Mark in particular, with his bluntness about what he wants and his steadfastedness in the face of adversity. Steven is a bit toppy for my tastes, but I still enjoy his humor and sense of morals. Their chemistry is great, too, hot but not over the top.

Not a whole lot actually happens, so this is not a story to satisfy a craving for action. On the other hand, it's great for something short and sweet, with great characters to spend an afternoon with.

Review: Pawprints

Title: Pawprints
Series: Pawprints
Author: Anne Cain
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 6 November 2007
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 114 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: Veterinary student Adrien works for a local animal shelter, where he meets a scared black and white cat. Little does he know that the cat is not just a cat, but rather has a second human Nature, and that he has escaped a bleak life as a sex slave. Adrien can't help but fall in love with Lal, even as Lal is hunted by his Master's minions, who threaten to shatter the new relationship.

My disclaimer: I am so not a fan of the slavery trope that it's not even funny. As such, my regard for the story is perhaps biased more than it should be.

This is a novella that wanted to be so much more. There is a lot missing when it comes to meat on its bones--the concept of the Realms, Natures, the magic system, they all could easily have been fleshed out to provide a richer experience. It's never clarified why/how Lal escaped, or how Caleb came to do the same. The magic of the world, including the many Realms and the Natures of the shifters, is barely touched on; although it didn't need to be fully explored, a little more exposition would have made the central premise slightly less gratuitous.

The relationship between Adrien and Lal moved with the unrealistic speed so common to the romance genre (and the male/male romance genre in particular); they meet, they have sex, they fall in love, all within the span of a few chapters. This is another way in which the story could have benefitted from greater length. The relationship never seemed to develop naturally, rather rushing along to meet the plot devices.

The characters themselves never really get fleshed out enough for me to be very invested in them, either. Kal, Caleb, and Jaylen in particular remained shallow; I couldn't bring myself to care much about the forbidden love between the latter two as they, Jaylen more than Caleb, were barely established as personalities, much less characters I should care about.

In truth, despite my complaints and within the constraints of a novella, it's not a bad little story. It just has the potential to be so much more. I'd have liked to see more of a resolution for Kal and more development overall, but it's certainly possible to do worse.

Review: Beautiful Boys

Title: Beautiful Boys
Author: Anne Cain
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 11 August 2009
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 107 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Beautiful Boys is actually four related stories; each chapter is dedicated to a separate couple, after a short prologue to introduce the characters.

Getaway: Dean planned a spectacular getaway to Greece with his boyfriend, Stephen. Plans probably should have changed when Dean found Stephen in bed with another man but, though they broke up, it's the principle of the thing: Dean is taking that vacation. Things go awry when Stephen strands Dean on a deserted island, which isn't so deserted after all.

Jinx: Neil just wants his birthday on Thursday, the unluckiest day of the week, to be over. Discovering that his coworkers have arranged a surprise party--complete with stripper--at Neil's apartment does not help. Things go from bad to worse when a stripping mishap results in seven years of bad luck for Neil. Or is it good luck after all?

Calculus and Condoms: Nathan and Gage have been college roommates for years. All that time, Nathan has been harboring an unrequited crush on Gage. It takes the threat of Gage failing Calculus to propel Nathan into action--even if the action is breaking into the professor's office to steal the answer key. Little does Nathan know that he'll be finding answers to more than Calculus questions.

Designing Love: Andy and Luke are both design interns at a magazine, and they're constantly at each others' throats--they can't even agree to disagree. When Luke makes a change to one of Andy's projects without consulting him, it's more than Andy can take. Finding that he can't even escape Luke at the neighborhood bar, Andy may just have to face a few hard truths.

Of the four, my favorite is probably Jinx, for all that I find Jinx's bad luck a wee bit contrived. I like the build-up, the fact that there's quite a bit of story before they fall into bed together. I like cranky!superstitious!Neil despite myself, and the easy chemistry between him and Jinx is charming. Not that the other stories aren't appealing--they've got conflict, they've got reparation, they've got sweet, sweet mansex. What more could you need?

My few quibbles are more in the author's style than anything. Some of the euphemisms make me snicker (I don't know why, but 'knob' amuses me endlessly.) and there are an awful lot of gaping holes. Some of the descriptors are not to my taste enough that they actually threw me out of the story to wonder over their choice. Overall, though, while my immersion wasn't complete, it was still a great distraction.

Although I usually prefer longer stories, these were still a joy, with a good blend of story and sex. There are definitely worse ways to pass time.

Review: Patchouli for Christmas

Title: Patchouli for Christmas
Author: Bren Christopher
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 6 December 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 67 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: Michael is a 33-year-old party planner.  Jude is a patchouli-wearing painter.  They're thrown together when Jude's grandmother insists upon displaying Jude's (rather emo) paintings at the holiday bash she's having Michael plan for her.  Neither is terribly impressed by the other, despite Michael's initial attraction and Jude's subsequent teasing.  Things go a bit south from there when Michael finds out that his brother, Doug, is filing for divorce.  Oh, and then there's yoga.  And sex.

The chemistry between Michael and Jude is interesting enough (though the sex itself is a bit bland), but the subplot involving Doug's divorce is a distraction that doesn't really offer much to the story, for all that it apparently drives Michael's actions for a decent portion of it.  In order for it to be less of an apparent plot device, this short story really needs to be something more, something with a bit more flesh on its bones.

There's so much potential for exploration there.  Michael's issues with his father's abandonment (presumably, as it's never overtly addressed), Jude's evolution into a hippie and feelings over his parents' deaths, even the machinations of Jude's grandmother--they all could easily have been expanded upon and given a bit of depth, instead of being glossed over or sprung without any foreshadowing.  This novella could easily have been so much more.

As it stands, this is a bit of a throwaway read, too short for all of its elements to come together cleanly and satisfy.  I'd love to see this as a full novel; it makes me sad that I can't really recommend it in this form.